Siamese Cat

With their distinctive pale coats highlighted with the darker himalayan points and their eyes of a clear, vivid blue, Siamese just exude class and elegance. Along with the Persians, this breed was one of the first recognized pedigree cats. From the original, a pale-coated cat with dark, brown points, the Siamese today is bred in almost every color imaginable. Charming, intelligent and companionable, these cats make delightful pets, but can also be somewhat demanding of both your time and attention.

When Siamese first arrived in Britain in the 1880s, these slimly built cats were often considered to have a somewhat frail and delicate constitution. This is hardly surprising, since they had come from a very warm climate to a very cold, damp one. Equally, they became exposed to different bugs and diseases, and the natural immunity they had built up to viruses in their homeland no longer served them well.

Early Siamese cat were indeed a difficult breed to rear successfully, as the kittens were prone to all sorts of infections. Through the dedication of the early breeders and the advance in knowledge of veterinary science, however, these cats soon overcame their original health problems, and today’s Siamese are no more susceptible to infections than any other breed of cat. Indeed, many Siamese have been known to live to celebrate their twenty-first birthdays — not bad going for any cat!

In Britain a simple system was established to separate two quite distinct breeding lines. The original Siamese colors are registered under breed number 24, and include seal, blue, chocolate and lilac, (frost); all other colors and patterns are classified as breed 32. A similar system exists in the U.S., where the seal, blue, chocolate and frost points are regarded as Siamese, and all other colors and patterns classified as Colorpoint Shorthair.

Origin

As the name would suggest, Siamese cats occurred in Siam (now Thailand), where they were regarded as sacred cats. Early Siamese cat displayed two traits that are considered severe faults for the modern show-quality Siamese: tail kinks and crossed eyes. Although these features have been successfully bred out, the curious legends remain. One legend is that a pair of cats was sent off to find and return a valuable goblet that had been stolen from a Buddhist temple. After many days of travel, the goblet was found. Although both cats were tired, the male returned to the temple to relay the news while his lady stayed to keep guard of the treasure. She wrapped her long tail around the precious object tightly, watching it with devout attention, to the extent that her tail became kinked and her eyes acquired a permanent squint. Some weeks later, she gave birth to a litter of kittens, all with crossed eyes.

Appearance

The Siamese cat is a muscular cat that has a long, lean, slim and elegant body with an extremely angular shape. The head is an almost perfect triangle; at the top, the large ears are set wide on the skull, the cheeks are broad and narrow to a fine muzzle. In profile the head is long and straight, with no nose break or stop. The points, restricted to the mask, should show a clear contrast to the paler body color.

Origin: Siam (Thailand)

Grooming: 1/5

Activity: 5/5

GCCF Group: Siamese

Temperament

The Siamese cat has an outgoing, larger-than-life character, which is one of the reasons the breed is so popular. Highly affectionate, the Siamese cat is smart.

Suitability as a pet

With their close-lying, sleek fur, these cats will not require you to spend much time on grooming —they can do it themselves. The Siamese cat is a very active breed and can be somewhat demanding; this is a breed that will instigate a conversation, rather than just quietly reply to a question. Extremely active and inquisitive, Siamese will fit into most households, including those with pets and children. Although the Siamese cat is most charming, do not be tempted to keep too many of them. In an overcrowded feline environment, these cats tend to display territorial habits, including spraying— you have been warned!